Package sealing machine



June 2, 1942. M. H. CORLEY ETAL PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE 'Filed May 3-,1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 2, 1942. M. H. CORLEY ETAL PACKAGE SEALINGMACHINE June 2, 1942 M. H. CORLEY ETAL PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE Filed May3, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 2, 1942.

M. H. CORLEY EAL PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 3,1940 June? 1942- M. H. CORLEY ET AL 2,285,253

PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE Filed May a, 1940 a Shee'ts-Sheet 5 @erzZw June2, 1942. M. H. CORLEY arm.

PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE File d May 5, 1940 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 ffzuezzzzw-Patented June 2, 1942 PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE I Mark H. Corley and JohnA. Heckman, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Miller-.Wrapping and Sealing Machine Company,Chicago, 111.,

tion of Illinois a corpora- Application May 3, 1940, Serial No. 333,128

18 Claims.

The machine of the present invention is designed for use in sealing theends of wrappers in the closing of packages containing articlesofmerchandise; and the invention in particular re.-

lates to the means provided for adjusting the sealing crimpers toward orfrom one another to accommodate packages of varying lengths inconjunction with the means provided for vertically the feeding andcrimping mechanism taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and showing the crimperjaws in open relationship;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the jaws closed;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing the crimper jaws and associatedparts;

adjusting the entire mechanical assembly with regular shape and contour.

The invention is further directed to the means provided for advancingthe packages in the form of a procession to the sealing line and to thesynchronizing of the operations of the crimping mechanism to the speedof delivery of an associated gluing and sheeting machine, so that aprocession of sheets will be delivered at the required intervals topermit the operator to wrap the sheet around an article of merchandiseand place the same in position to be fed forwardly to the crimpers intimed relation to the delivery of the sheets, thereby maintainingcontinuity in the folding, sealing and delivering of the packages.

The invention also relates to the construction and mode of operation ofthe crimpers; to the feeding mechanism for the packages; means providedfor slitting the crimped ends of the packages during the sealingoperation to facilitate tearing away of the wrapper, and to the generalconstruction ofthe machine as a whol and the constituent parts thereof.

Further objects and details will appear from the description of theinvention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure1 is a plan view of the machine assoto the ciated with .a gluing andsheeting machine to.

.Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig, 2 looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of i 7 is an enlargedsectional elevation throu h the crimper jaws Fig. 8 is a perspectiveview showing a package of the character sealed by the machine of thepresent invention;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken through line 9-9 of Fig. 6showing the mounting for the upper shear blade;

Fig. 10 is a detail of the toggle mechanism for actuating the jaws;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view associated parts;

Fig. 12 is a detail showing'a modification particularly adapting thedevice for the feeding of packages in pairs;

Fig. 13 is a cross sectional elevation illustrating the adjustingprinciples of the present invention as applied to a machine employingcrimping rollers and a chain feed in lieu of the jaw crimpersillustrated in the previous views: and

' Fig, 14 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken on line l4-I4 ofFig. 13.

The crimping mechanism of the present invention in the form illustratedin Figures 1 to 11, inclusive, is shown in association with a' gluingand sheeting machine 20 of the character fully set forth and describedin my copending application, Serial No. 315,561, filed January 25, 1940.It is not deemed necessary to describe this machine in full detail safeinsofar as may be necessary to an understanding of its cooperativerelationship to the crimping machine of the present invention. I

The sheeting machine is built upon a framework comprising corner legs 2|and a top frame 22 which carries a table 23 which is projected of thefeeder and outwardly beyond the frame of the gluing and sheeting machineand aifords the frame or supucts, articles of apparel, and other unitsof merchandise too numerous to mention.

The web W is fed forward upwardly, thence rearwardly, and finallyforwardly through rollers 25, and has glue stripes or lines applied toits margin by gluing mechanism 26, and in addition is provided atrecurrent intervals with cross glue lines applied by means-of a crosstraveling gluing carriage 21 which is shuttled back and forthby cablemechanism 26 in a manner described in full detail in my copendingapplication referred to.

The continuous web W is advanced by a feed roller 29 which isintermittently rotated by a rack and ratchet mechanism 30, and theforward end of the web is cut off recurrently by shear mechanism 3| intosections of uniform size which as shown are glued along each of the fouredges, as illustrated in the case of the section S shown in Fig. 1.

All of the mechanisms of the present invention are driven from a commonsource of power, which may be a motor 32 which actuates the main drivepulley 33, which in turn drives a gear 34 mounted upon a shaft 35 havingoppositely extending cranks 36 and 31. The crank 37, through a link 38,oscillates an arm 39 depending from a shaft 40 which carries anoscillating arm 4| to which the rack 30 is pivoted, and also carries anarm 42 which is connected with and actuates the cable 28 for shuttlingthe transverse gluing mechanism back and forth across the under side ofthe web.

Suitable means are provided for regulating the extent of each feedingstroke imparted by the rack 36 and for regulating the length of the gluelines, so that sheets of the intended length and glued in the intendedmanner will be intermittently cut off in properly timed relationship anddelivered on to an endless carrier 43 presenting its upper turns acrossthe top of the table 23 and in a convenient position to enable theoperator to remove the sheets at regularly timed intervals for thepurpose of wrapping the same around the articles of merchandise to beenclosed and sealed.

All of the above mechanisms are fully described in the copendingapplication, Serial No. 315,561, and it is therefore not deemednecessary to further describe the same except to point out that theassociation of the sealing mechanism with the sheeting and gluingmechanisms enables both of these units to be synchronously driven from asingle source of power, so that sheet sections of uniform size, freshlyglued, will be delivered at suitably timed intervals, which enables theoperator to wrap them around the units of merchandise to bring thelongitudinal edges in overlapping relation as indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 2, and to thereupon place the longitudinally sealed package inposition to be carried forward to the crimpers, so that the sheetdelivery and wrapping will keep proper pace with the feeding of thepartially sealed packages to the crimpers which tuck in and seal theends of the wrappers and deliver the fully sealed packages in regularsequence at the discharge end of the machine.

The crimping mechanism which displays the special features of thepresent invention is fully supported by the projecting end of the table23 which is provided with a transversely elongated rectangular opening44, which across its center is bridged by a series of spaced guide bars45 which furnish a' grid across which the packages are moved. Below thelongitudinal center of the table extension is located a guide rod 46which is suspended at its ends by outer and inner brackets 41 and 46respectively, which hold the guide rod rigidly in position at asubstantial distance below the table, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Theguide rod 46 serves as a mounting for a rider 49 provided with forwardand rearlugs 56 and 5|, which embrace the guide rod and permit the riderto be moved back and forth thereon.

In order to apply the moderate amount of friction required in theoperations presently to be described, a friction block 52 is providedwhich bears against the surface of the rod and is carried by a plate 53held in place by a spring backed screw 54 entered into the lug 5!, whichenables the degree of friction to be regulated.

The rider 49 near its-forward end is provided with an upstanding post 55which at its upper end carries an angled cross arm 56, giving to thestructure a T-shaped formation, and the cross arm in turn supports apusher bar 51 having lugs 58 which engage the rear side of a positionedpackage as in Fig. 1. The pusher bar is also provided with forwardlyprojecting tucker fingers 59 which are spaced to clear the body of thepackage enclosure and tuck in the ends of the Wrapper preparatory to thesealing operation.

The tucker fingers 59 cooperate with fixed tucker fingers 60 adjustablymounted upon posts 6|, so positioned as to engage the forward side ofthe package and tuck in the projecting ends of the wrapper incooperation with the action of the fingers 59 when the package isadvanced to the sealing position shown in Fig. 4, so that the ends ofthe wrapper will be properly tucked in on both sides before the sealingpressure is applied.

The pusher bar 51 is held in position by a thumb nut 62 which enablesany pusher bar to be removed and another substituted in order to providea bar of the proper size to act upon packages of a given dimension. Thepusher bar occupies a position immediately above the plane of the tabletop, and in order to advance the preceding package after the sealingoperation, a pusher arm 63 is provided which is of bell crank formationand terminates in an upstanding leg 64, being pivoted at the point 65 tothe rider 49.

The forward end 66 of the pusher arm is bent upwardly and affordssupport for a cross plate 61 carrying fingers 68, which when the pusherarm is elevated extend above the table top and in position to engage therear face of the forward package and carry it forward as indicated inFig. 5. It is therefore necessary for the active end of the pusher armto drop downwardly below the level of the table to clear the undersideof the package previously advanced by the pusher bar, and the linkagenow to be described is provided to afford the required movements.

The rider 49 near its rear end is provided with a fin 69 upon which ispivoted a lever 10 connected at its upper end by a link II with theupstanding leg 64 of the pusher arm 63. The lower end of the lever 10 isconnected by a spring 12 which extends forwardly and connects with a lug13 carried by a slide 14 which rides upon the fixed guide rod 46 withinthe open space between the lugs 50 and 5i at the ends of the rider 49.The slide 14 is actuated by a link 15 (Fig. 2), the rear end of which ispivoted to a lever 16 mounted upon the shaft 40 (Fig. 2), and the lowerend of the lever is engaged by a link 11 actuated by the crank 36.

The arrangement of these parts is such that when a forward thrust isimparted to the slide 14 it will first of all put tension upon thespring 12 and draw forward the lower end of the lever I0, the frictionblock 52 meanwhile acting as a brake to prevent the premature movementof the rider 49, which, however, will begin to move under the pull ofthe spring as the slide I4 continues to advance. The initiatorymovement, however, imparts a pull through the link II to the rear leg 64of the pusher arm, which elevates the forward or free end of the arm andbrings the pusher arm finger 68 into position to engage the rear side ofthe foremost package occupying the sealing position. After theinitiatory movement is exhausted the rider 49 as a whole will advanceand the rear package will be engaged by the tucker fingers 59 and thelugs 58, and advanced to the sealing position concurrently with theadvancement of the preceding package. On the return stroke of the linkI5 and the slide I4, the spring I2 will be relieved from tension and thefree end ofthe pusher arm will drop back below the level of the table soas to clear the package now occupying the sealing position.

The degree of movement imparted to the pusher arm can be regulated bystop screws I8 and I9, and the tension of the spring I2 in relation tothe braking action of the friction block 52 is so regulated as to insurethe lifting of the pusher arm before the rider begins to advance. Theforward movement of the rider is limited by an adjustable stop 80 nearthe forward end of the rod 46 with a spring 8| to cushion the contact ofthe rider.

Sealing is effected by upper and lower jaws 82 and 83, which when openoccupy the positions shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and when closed occupythe positions shown in Figs-5, 6 and 7'; and each of the jaws isprovided with a serrated face 84 and is chambered on its interior toreceive a heating coil 85 (Fig. 7). The lower jaw 83 is supported on anasbestos insulating plate 83* carried by a casting 86 having sleeves 81which are slidable upon a pair of spaced vertical rods 80 which at theirupper ends support a housing 99 which yieldingly carries the upper jaw82 in the manner to be presently described.

The vertical rods 80 are slidably mounted within sleeves 90 which areformed along the forward and rear edges of a supporting frame casting 9Iwhich is provided with upper and lower transversely extending sleeves 92and 93 which ride upon upper and lower cross guide rods 94 and 95, theends of which are reduced and supported within vertically adjustableblocks 96 which permit the entire sealing assembly to'be verticallyadjusted as a unit in the manner now to. be described.

The entire sealing assembly is suspended from the table top on each sideby a hanger yoke 91,

bar 99, .which arrangement affords the necessary rigidity for supportingthe sealing assembly and permitting the vertical and transverseadjustments which are provided for.

The blocks 96 are channeled vertically to afford side flanges I00 (Fig.2) which embrace the sides of an adjustable supporting post IOI which isguided within upper and lower bushings I02 and I03. The post terminatesin a head I04 which receives the threaded stem I05 of a hand wheel I06,and the adjusting motions so imparted to the post IOI are imparted tothe associated block 96 through a trunnion pin I01, the projecting endsof which are entered through slots I08 in the spaced side flanges I00.

The above arrangement is duplicated on each side of the machine, andthus enables the blocks 96 to be individually adjusted, which ispossible by reason of the fact that the blocks are mounted upon thepins, so that a certain amount of tiltingv movement is permissible.

Inequality of vertical adjustment may be desirable in the case ofcertain packages which are asymmetrically folded so that the sealingplane will diifer at opposite ends of the package.

The frame castings 9I are adjustable in opposition to one another by theprovision of a right and left screw I09 which is threaded through bothof the frame castings and operated by a hand wheel IIO (Fig. 3 Theadjusting screw I09, as shown in Fig. 4, occupies a position parallel tothe lower guide rod 95 and on the forward side thereof.

The vertical rods 08 of each pair are connected at their lower ends by across head III (Fig. 5), and have their upper ends entered into thehousing 89, which arrangement holds. the rods in rigid parallel relationto one another and enables them to slide freely through the mountingafforded by the main frame casting 9|, and each casting is provided onits outer face with aligned bosses H2, H3 (Fig. 4) which furnish guidesfor the reciprocation of a toggle actuating rod I I4 provided near itsopposite ends with cross pins H5, I I6, which receive the contiguousbifurcated ends of two pairs of toggle links I", which bifurcated endsare interfitted and pivoted upon the associated pin, as illustrated inFig. 10. The lower ends of the lower toggle links are pivoted toupstanding lugs H8 at the ends of the bar II Land the upper ends of theupper toggle links are similarly pivoted to the projecting ends .I I9 ofa plate I20, which closes'the side of the casting 86 which supports thelower crimper jaw.

The rear endof each of the rods H4 is provided with a cushion spring I2Iwhich is adapted to be contacted in any position of transverseadjustment by an angle shaped transversely extending thrust bar I22carried by the slide I4, so that as the slide advances from the positionshown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5, the rod II4 will bemoved forwardly and the toggles spread 'to a position very slightlybeyond dead center. This spreading of the togglescauses the lower jaw tomove upwardly under the direct thrust of the upper toggle links, andcauses the upper jaw to move downwardly under the .down pull of the rods08 which are subjected to the down thrust of the lower toggle links.

On the return movement of the slide I4, the links are retracted andfolded by the pull of a chain I22 carrying a link I 22 which journals aroller I22 mounted upon a rail rod I22 suspended at its ends from thetransverse thrust bar I22, the 'rail permitting transverse adjustment ofthe chain commensurate with the transverse adjustment of the jawassembly and the toggles forming a part thereof.

As shown in'Figs. 6and 7, the upper jaw is longitudinally supported atits ends from hanger pins I23 each provided with a collar I24 and areduced upper end I25 entered through a bore in an adjusting nut I26having a knurled head I21 and threaded into the upper end of anupstanding cored boss I28 which is provided with a shoulder I29 againstwhich the collar I24 abuts, while the reduced end I25 is surrounded by acoil spring I30, the tension of which may be regulated by the adjustmentof the nut I28.

The stroke of the toggle links is sufilciently long to cause a slightcontinued upward movement of the two jaws after they are brought intosealing contact, at which point the jaws will move in unison, the upperjaw yielding against the tension 01' the springs I30. This addedmovement is availed of to trim the projecting sealed edges of thewrapper by the action of a shear blade I3I carried by the outer edge ofthe lower jaw in conjunction with an upper shear blade I32 carried bycross pins I33 entered through the rods 88, which do not partake of theterminal yielding movement imparted to the upper and lower jaws, ,sothat during this movement the lower blade will shear past the descendingblade I32 and evenly shear off the excess from the sealed ends of thewrapper.

The mounting for the shear blade I32 is illustrated in Fig. 9, fromwhich it will be noted that the pins I33 are slidable through the rods88 against the tension of springs I34 which bear against washers I35 ona cross bar I38 carried by the pins I33. The angularity of the shearblade I32 may be regulated by the adjustment of screws I31 and I38bearing against the blade and acting against the tension of backingsprings I38 located within recesses I40 in the bar I36, so that theblade may be regulated to secure an effective shearing action.

In addition to the shearing action. it is desirable to provide anoblique tearing slit T (Fig. 8) in the sealed edge of the wrapper tofacilitate the opening of the package by initiating a tearing lineconverging inwardly of the wrapper, and for this purpose a serratedknife blade MI is provided which is located within a slot I42 at one endof'the upper jaw in position to permit the knife blade to enter a.registering slot I43 in the lower jaw. The knife blade is carried by ahanger I44 secured at its upper end to the post I28, so that as theterminal movement is imparted to the upper and lower jaws in unison theknife blade, moving downwardly, will cut through the sealed edge of thewrapper to provide the end slit T.

In order to steady. the package during the end sealing operation, a shoeI45 is suspended by rods I46 (Fig. 3) which are-entered through abracket I41 slidably mounted upon a bridge bar I48 supported at its endsfrom standards I49 on opposite sides of the machine. Each rod I46 isprovided with a collar I50 which receives the thrust of a spring II, theupper end of which bears against the bracket I41, nuts I52 beingprovided to regulate the tension of the springs.

In order to regulate the current flow through the heating coils 85 inthe jaws, a thermostat I53 is provided, which is adjustable by a leverarm I54 located outside of the housing 89. i

It may be desirable to provide for the simultaneous feeding and sealingof packages in pairs, and for this purpose the modification shown inFig. 12 is employed. In this instance, in lieu of the pusher feedmechanism heretofore described, an endless chain I55 is employed whichis provided with stop lugs I56 at spaced intervals, against which pairsof packages P are positioned, and the chain feed is advancedintermittently by any suitable train of connections to bring thepackages to the sealing point. Also, in this form of construction, it isdesirable to employ toggle link I51 of the form shown, each of whichconsists of a hollow section I58 and a telescoping link rod I53 enteredthrough a cap nut I60, which bears against a collar I8I backed by a coilspring I62 bearing against a shoulder I63 in the hollow link sectionI58. Normally the link sections will move in unison, but an excessterminal movement may be accommodated by the yielding of the link rodsI59. In all other essential respects the structure shown in Fig. 12 issubstantially like that first described.

The adjusting features of the present invention, including the verticaladjustment of the assembly as a whole combined with the lateraladjustments of the sealing members, are adapted for use in a sealingmachine employing rollers rather than jaws for sealing purposes, andsuch an embodiment of the adjusting features is illustrated in Figs. 13and 14. In this embodiment, the packages are fed forward uponintermittently moving feed chains I64, provided with prongs I whichengage the packages which are moved over a stationary grid I88 composedof longitudinally extending rods between which the prongs I65 project.

The end edges of the wrapper are compressed together by the contact ofendless spring belts I81 bearing against the upper and lower faces ofthe wrapper margins, which spring belts are carried around upper andlower forward rollers I88 and rear rollers I69, the rear rollers beingpower driven.

The sealing of the edges is effected between upper and lower heatedrolls I10, and the excess at the margins is trimmed away by rotarycutter blades I1I. It will of course be understood that the spacing ofthe spring belt compressors and the sealing and cuttin knives is soregulated as to cause these elements to engage only the compressed endmargins of the wrapper, leaving the space in the center free for theadvance of the package, as indicated in-Fig. 13.

The rollers I60 and the rolls I10 are power driven from a transverseshaft I12 which is grooved to mount a sprocket I13 which drives asprocket chain I14 the rear turn of which is carried up and oversuitable sprockets of the lowerroll I10 and roller I69, thence around anidler sprocket I15, and upwardly and around the upper roller I69 androll I10, thereby causing these parts to rotate in unison with thefeeding speed of the forward chains I64. The above special features ofconstruction are not herein claimed in. detail, but the mounting forthese parts is similar to that employed for adjusting the jaw crimpersfirst described.

It will be understood that the group of mechanisms illustrated in Fig.14 is duplicated at opposite ends of the package, and in order toprovide for the in and out transverse adjustments necessary toaccommodate packages of varying lengths, each of the sealing groups iscarried by a frame I15 provided with a hanger I11 through which isthreaded a right and left adjusting screw I18 operated by a hand wheelI19 or crank, so that, by rotation of the screw, the sealing groups willbe moved inwardly or outwardly in opposition to one another to effectthe necessary lateral adjustments within the adjustable frame I80, whichsupports the mechanisms previously described.

The vertical adjustments are effected by means of a hand crank or wheelI8I operating a screw I82 entered through a lug I83, which constitutespart of the traveling frame I 80, and the lower reduced end I84 of thescrew is entered through a cap nut I85 in the upper end of a tubularfixed post I85 which affords the entire support for the possible tovertically adjust the entire sealing assembly as a unit and to adjustthe individual sealing groups laterally of the traveling frame.

Operation In the operation of the mechanism first de scribed, the powerfor operating the sheeting,

feeding and sealing units is derived from a com.-

mon source, and the movements are effected intermittently and insuitably timed relation to the wrapping of the packages performed by theoperator, who occupies a convenient position between the sheeting andgluing mechanisms on the left side of the operator and the sealingmechanism on the right side. The cut and freshly glued sheets aredelivered at properly timed intervals and are wrapped around thepackage, for instance a bread loaf, and sealed along the longitudinaloverlap, and then placed transversely of 'the machine in position to becarried forward with the next reciprocation of the pusher feedmechanism, and as the pusher mechanism advances, the partially wrappedpackage will be engaged and the protruding ends of the wrapper tucked inon the rear side and the package carried forward to the sealingposition, during which operation the forward sides of the wrapper endswill be tucked in while the jaws still stand in the open position shownin Fig. 4.

By the time the package has reached the sealing position, the crossthrust bar I22, will have been carried forward sufllciently to engagethe toggle mechanism, so that the continued movement of the thrust-barwill'spread the toggles and move the jawstoward one another to engageand compress the protruding margins of the wrapper and bring themtogether at the sealing line.

In view of the fact that the packages during their advance are supportedupon 'a fixed grid in the table top, and in view of the fact that thesealing assembly is vertically adjustable as a unit, it is possible tobring the jaws into sealing contactv at any desired elevation withrelation to the feeding plane of the package, so that the seal will beapplied at the desired elevation above the base of the package, therebyaccommodating the requirements for packages of irregular shape. For asymmetrical rectangular package like that shownin Fig. 8, the seal willordinarily occur along the medial plane of the package, but for packagesof irregular contour, some other plane may be found more favorable inorder to produce a smooth, even and sightly seal, under more or lessabnormal conditions.

The pusher feeding mechanism is so arranged as to carry forward thesealed package from the sealing position concurrently with the advanceof a new package to the sealing position and to clear the forwardpackage on its return movement so that a step by step advance of theprocession of packages will be maintained to the discharging position.The arrangement shown is one which utilizes the thrust of the link I5 to.time the various operations in proper sequence gage the togglemechanism in any of its positions of lateral adjustment.

The vertical adjusting mechanism employed with the jaw sealers is'onewhich permits the ends of the frame carrying the sealing jaws to beadjusted uniformly, if desired, and also permits of a slight tilting ofthe frame, which may be desirable to accommodate packages of specialshape, so that it is not necessary to sealboth ends of a package alongthe same plane, since variation in this adjustment may be desirable. Themechanism as shown permits these adjustments to be eifeoted withoutbinding or cramping, since the ends of the frame are supported upontrunnions afforded by the pins [01 carried by the adjustable standardsIOI.

By supporting the sealing assembly from the extended table top of thegluing and sheeting machine, and by utilizing a common source of powerfor both groups of mechanisms, an accurate timing is maintained, and themechanisms are brought into convenient arrangement to meet the needs ofthe operator. and at the same time the general structure is simplifiedand rendered more compact since the entire mechanism can be moved fromplace to place as a unit, and in convenient relation to meet therequirements of the operator and the delivery of merchandise to asuitable location for wrapping and sealing.

Although it is customary, in the fastening of wrappers which requireclose scaling, to apply the glue line to the longitudinal overlap of thewrapper edges, preliminary to the sealing of the ends, it will beunderstood that the longitudinal sealing may not be necessary in certaincases and that mere overlapping of the edges will suffice tosufficiently enclose the package to permit the ends to be sealed by themechanism herein described,

, so that it is not the intention to limit the use and irrespective ofthe lateral adjustment of the of the machine to wrapper sections whichare provided with both longitudinal and transverse glue stripes.

Furthermore, in certain cases, glue will not be relied upon at all toafford the sealing, since certain wrapping materials will fuse underheat so that the seal will be effected without the presence of glue.Such wrapping materials, however, may require the longitudinalgluestripe to seal the overlap, heat being relied upon to seal the ends ofthe wrapper.

Furthermore, although the complete machin herein described is designedto seal both ends of a package and to permit the necessary lateraladjustments to be made to properly space the sealing groups, it willbeunderstood that the jaw sealing mechanism and the means provided foractuating the same, as well as the pusher mechanism for feeding packagesthereto, are regarded as special subjects of invention, which may beused either as a pair of jaw sealing groups or as a single group, sothat in the claims, unless otherwise indicated, it is to be understoodthat the jaw sealing groups need not necessarily be employed in pairs asdescribed.

We claim:

1. In a package sealing machine, the combination of two groups ofsealing devices adapted each to seal the protruding ends of a packagewrapper, means for laterally adjusting the sealing groups with respectto one another to accommodate packages of varying length, and means forvertically adjusting the entire sealing assembly to vary the sealingplane with respect to the position of the package.

2. In a package sealing machine, the combination of two groups ofsealing devices adapted each to seal the protruding end of a packagewrapper, means for laterally adjusting the sealing groups with respectto one another to accommodate packages of varying length, and means forvertically adjusting the entire sealing assembly to vary the sealingplane with respect to the position of the package, supporting means forthe packages for maintaining the same in a fixed plane irrespective ofvertical adjustments of the sealing assembly, and means for feedingpackages forwardly to bring the protruding ends of the wrappers intoproper relation to the respective sealing groups.

3. In a package sealing machine, the combination of two groups ofsealing devices adapted each to seal the protruding end of a packagewrapper, means for laterally adjusting the sealing groups with respectto one another to accommodate packages of varying length, and means forvertically adjusting the entire sealing assembly to vary the sealingplane with respect to the position of the package, supporting means forthe packages for maintaining the same in a fixed plane irrespective ofvertical adjustments of the sealing assembly, and intermittentlyoperated reciprocating pusher mechanism provided with forward and rearpusher abutments adapted on each forward movement to advance a forwardand rear package, and the forward abutment being adapted to clear thepreviously advanced rear package upon the return movement of the pushermechanism.

4. In a package sealing machine, the combination of two groups ofsealing devices adapted each to seal the protruding end of a packagewrapper, means for laterally adjusting the sealing groups with respectto one another to accommodate packages of varying length, and means forvertically adjusting the entire sealing assembly to vary the sealingplane with respect to the position of the package, supporting means forthe packages for maintaining the same in a fixed plane irrespective ofvertical adjustments of the sealing assembly, and intermittentlyoperated reciprocating pusher mechanism provided with forward and rearpusher abutments adapted on each forward movement to advance a forwardand rear package, and the forward abutment being adapted to clear thepreviously advanced rear package upon the return movement of the pushermechanism, the pusher mechanism being provided with a member adapted toengage and actuate the two sealing groups in all sitions of lateral andvertical adjustment.

5. In a package sealing machine, the combination of means for advancedwrapped packages to the sealing position, two groups of sealingmechanisms adapted each to seal the protruding end of a package wrapper,adjusting mechanism for laterally adjusting the sealing mechanismstoward and from one another, said means including guide rails for thesealing groups and a right and left screw for simultaneously engagingboth of the sealing groups to effect simultaneous adjustment thereof,and actuating means for both groups of sealing mechanisms adapted toactuate the same in all positions of lateral adjustment.

6; In a package sealing machine, the combination'of means for advancingwrapped packages to the sealing position, two groups of sealingmechanisms adapted each to seal the protruding end -of a packagewrapper, adjusting mechanism for laterally adjusting the sealingmechanisms toward and from one another, and actuating means for bothgroups of sealing mechanisms adapted to actuate the same in allpositions of lateral adjustment, and means for vertically adjusting thesealing assemblage to vary the sealing plane with respect to thepackages.

7. In a package sealing machine, the combination of means for advancingwrapped packages to the sealing position, two groups of sealingmechanisms adapted each to seal the protruding end of a package wrapper,adjusting mechanism for laterally adjusting the sealing mechanismstoward and from one another, said means including guide rails for thesealing groups and a right and left screw for simultaneously engagingboth of the sealing groups to effect simultaneous adjustment thereof,and actuating means for both groups of sealing mechanisms adapted toactuate the same in all positions of lateral adjustment, and means forvertically adjusting the sealing assemblage to vary the sealing planewith respect to the packages.

8. In a package sealing machine, a sealing group comprising upper andlower sealing jaws and guide members for permitting a straight linereciprocation of the same to move from open to closed sealing positionwith respect to one another, toggle mechanism for actuating both jaws inunison and in opposition to one another, and a thrust bar for engagingand actuating said toggle mechanism.

9. In a package sealing machine, a sealing group comprising upper andlower sealing jaws and guide members for permitting the same to movefrom open to closed sealing position with respect to one another,togglemechanism for actuating the jaws in unison, pusher mechanism foradvancing packages to sealing position, and toggle actuating mechanismmovable with the pusher mechanism and adapted to engage and spread thetoggle mechanism to bring the jaws to closed sealing position after thearrival of a package.

10. In a package sealing machine, a sealing group comprising upper andlower sealing jaws and guide members for permitting the same to movefrom open to closed sealing position with respect to one another, togglemechanism for actuating the jaws in unison, pusher mechanism foradvancing packages to sealing position, said mechanism including a ridercarrying a rear abutment and a pivoted forwardly extending pusher armhaving an upstanding forward abutment adapted to engage a'package, aslide and connections for lifting the forward end of the pusher arm atthe beginning of the advance of the slide, and the slide thereafteractuating the rider to advance both the rear abutment and the forwardabutment, and means carried by the slide for engaging and actuating thetoggle mech-. anism for closing the jaws.

11. In a package sealing machine, a sealing group comprising upper andlower sealing laws and guide members for permitting the same to movefrom open to closed sealing position with respect to one another, togglemechanism for actuating the jaws in unison, pusher mechanism foradvancing packages to sealing position, said mechanism including a ridercarrying a rear abutment and a pivoted forwardly extending pusher armhaving an upstanding forward abutment adapted to engage a package, aslide and connections for lifting the forward end of the pusher arm atthe beginning of the advance of the slide. and the slide thereafteractuating the rider to advance both the rear abutment and the forwardabutment, means carried by the slide for engaging and actuating thetoggle mechanism for closing the jaws, and a flexible connec tionbetween the toggle mechanism and the slide for retracting and foldingthe toggle mechanism upon the return movement of the slide.

12. In a package sealing machine, the combination of a lower jaw andguide members upon which the lower jaw is slidably mounted, an upper jawcarried by said guide members, a rigid connection between the lower endsof said guide members, toggle links connected respectively to the lowerjaw and to the lower rigid connection for the guide members, and meansfor recurrently advancing packages to sealing position, said means beingadapted n the forward advance to engage and spread the toggleconnections for moving the upper and lower jaws toward one another tosealing position.

13. In a package sealing machine, the combination of a lower jaw andguide members upon which the lower jaw is slidably mounted, an upper jawcarried by said guide members, a rigid connection between the lower endsof said guide members, toggle links connected respectively to the lowerjaw and to the lower rigid connection for the guide members, means forrecurrently advancing packages to sealing position, said means beingadapted on the forward advance to engage and spread the toggleconnections for moving the upper and lower jaws toward one another tosealing position, and a flexible connection between the toggles and thepackage advancing mechanism for retracting and folding the toggles uponthe return movement of the advancing mechanism.

14. In a package sealing machine, the combination of a lower jaw aridguide members upon which the lower jaw is slidably mounted, an upper jawcarried by said guide members, a rigid connection between the lower endsof said guide members, toggle links connected respectively to the lowerjaw and to the lower rigid connection for the guide members, means forrecurrently advancing packages to sealing position, said means beingadapted on the forward advance to engage and spread the toggleconnections for moving the upper and lower jaws toward one another tosealing position, a flexible connection between the toggles and thepackage advancing and from one another, the mounting for one of the jawsbeing yieldable under pressure, jaw actuating means for moving the jawstoward and from one another, said means having a range of movementsufficient to cause the jaws to move in unison in one direction aftersealing contact is effected, and shear mechanism consisting of twoblades one of which is movable with the jaws luring said terminalmovement in opposition to the other blade to efiect a shearing action.

16. In a sealing machine, the combination of upper and lower jaws andmountings therefor adapted to permit movement of the jaws toward andfrom one another, the mounting for one of the jaws being yieldable underpressure, jaw actuating means for moving the jaws toward and from oneanother, said means having a range of movement suflicient to cause thejaws to move in unison in the same direction after sealing contact iseffected, and a slitting knife blade and a mounting therefor adapted tohold the knife blade in position during the terminal movement of thejaws to slit through the wrapping material clamped between the jaws andprovide a in unison in one direction after sealing contact is effected,shear mechanism consisting of two blades one of which is movable withthe jaws during said terminal movement in opposition to the other bladeto effect a shearing action, and a slitting knife blade and a mountingtherefor adapted to hold the knife blade in position during the terminalmovement of the jaws to slit through the wrapping material clampedbetween the jaws and provide a tearing slit.

18. In a package sealing machine, the combination of means for advancingwrapped packages to the sealing position, two groups of sealing jawsadapted each to seal the protruding end of a package wrapper, adjustingmechanism for laterally adjusting the groups toward and from oneanother, two sets of actuating means, one for each group of sealingjaws, adapted to impart relative reciprocating movements to bring thejaws toward and from one another and laterally adjustable with theassociated jaws, and a com mon operating member positioned to engageboth sets of actuating means in all positions of lateral adjustment foroperating the same.

MARK- H. CORLEY. JOHN A. HECKMAN.

